Outlook vs Gmail: Which Email Platform is the Best for Your Budget?
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace are the dominant performance suites in the world of software as a service (SaaS), both providing a wide variety of applications that modern business require.
While the functions of a lot of these applications are comparable, Microsoft and Google's exclusive offerings each have their own peculiarities, for better or worse.
In this post, we will take a look at email through Microsoft Outlook and Google's Gmail for Business. Independently, the set are the leading e-mail applications in company by market share and are pillars of M365 and Workspace, respectively.
Email might seem simple on the surface area, but the distinctions between Outlook and Gmail show that things are more complex than sending and receiving mail.
The workings of each are different, beginning You can find out more with how they are accessed, and ending with the security and personal privacy supplied.
Pricing
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace are priced monthly, per user, and have various tiers of prices. As it relates to the mail accounts themselves, the difference in tiers normally just impacts storage area.
Utilizing Microsoft's Business Basic plan ($ 5/month/user when billed each year), each user gets 50 GB of email storage area, which is independent of the extra 1 TB of cloud storage in OneDrive.
Remember, the most fundamental level of M365 does not include any of Microsoft's desktop applications, consisting of Outlook. Users acquiring this strategy will need to enjoy with the Outlook web app.
Meanwhile, Google's Business Basic strategy ($ 6), supplies just 30 GB of storage in general, combining e-mail storage and drive storage together.
That's right, 60% of the mailbox storage provided for Microsoft represent 100% of your total storage on Google's most affordable strategy.
That disparity is likely an attempt by Google to upsell users to their premium plans, with their Standard plan ($ 12) jumping to 2 TB of drive storage, and the Plus plan ($ 18) going to 5 TB.
Microsoft supplies 2-5 TB of drive storage with their business offerings, however mail box storage can basically be limitless through unlimited archiving beginning with the E3 strategy ($ 32).
A grid showing the prices and storage abilities of Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace
Scoring round 1 here, let's call it a draw. At the most inexpensive level, the 2 platforms are comparable, and Gmail's web app could be worth the additional dollar monthly.
As you move up plans, the Outlook desktop app might swing your choice, as we will talk about later on. Keep in mind, Microsoft's prices is based on an annual dedication, while Google does not use annual discounts as of this post.
This post is simply covering the two suites through the scope of their email applications, and these prices cover lots of other features. If cost is your main element, think about each suite in overall before making a decision.
Alleviate of Use
The greatest distinction in between the 2 suites overall is Microsoft's desktop apps, which are much more feature-packed relative to Google's web apps.
While the functions are not as various in between the email applications, the full Gmail experience is just accessible through a web browser.
With Outlook's desktop app, users get the full Exchange server experience, with the added advantage of having the ability to read and prepare emails while offline.
For example, if you are on an airplane, replying to e-mails and dealing with files you plan to send later on may be the best use of your time.
With Outlook, you don't require to wait for the internet to continue working, just to provide your work.
Gmail's interface can't be reached without internet connection unless you initially jump through some hoops.
At the time of this writing, you will require to use Google's Chrome web browser, have Gmail bookmarked, and sync your email via their offline function, the dependability of which has been arguable for many years.
Both have mobile applications, so that problem can be worked around, however reacting to a bunch of work e-mails on a mobile device can be a struggle.
The full suite of Microsoft Office desktop applications will be a much bigger benefit for Microsoft in comparing other apps, however we'll still give Outlook a minor, however substantial, benefit over Gmail due to reduce of usage.
Searchability
As you would expect, the business known for its search engine enables you to find e-mails you require more dependably.
Gmail's advantage starts with its classification using labels. Multiple labels can be applied to each e-mail or thread, and subcategories can be produced within labels to produce more of a filing system.
If several labels have been used to a single email or it services for professional services term, those messages will appear under each label. Moreover, labels allow you to auto-filter incoming e-mails based upon hand-chosen criteria.
In Outlook, arranging is restricted to folders, requiring users to categorize each email/thread into a particular location.
When it comes to the actual search function, both enable users to browse utilizing keywords, as well as folders/labels, senders, and date received.
Gmail not just has much deeper advanced-search functions, by all accounts, but it is likewise flat-out more precise.
This is the very first strong win for Gmail, as Outlook's searchability and classification are not as robust.
Security
Microsoft is the leader in this classification, and it is not especially close. Their exceptional standing is not simply vast, but it is apparent on two various fronts.
Google has actually come under fire just recently regarding its handling of individual information, with reports that the company scans user emails. More notably, Google reportedly tracks your area, your activity, and even your voice for the function of targeted ads.
On the other hand, Microsoft is far more transparent about their personal privacy policy and the information they collect.
If your company sends sensitive or individual data regularly, it probably goes without saying that you would feel more comfortable utilizing Microsoft and Outlook. Even if you aren't sending and getting personal information, it would take a lot of other benefits to surpass such obvious privacy issues.
For supervisors, Outlook uses even more internal security in the form of consents. While Outlook's folder company does not provide the exact same searchability as Gmail's labels, it does provide users the ability to enable and disallow certain actions within folders.
Outlook gives users 10 differing roles to select from, in addition to a custom-made role where the manager can hand-select specific actions one by one.
Functionally, this permits supervisors to entrust jobs to their subordinates without giving them full-scale access to more crucial info. It also stops dissatisfied staff members from potentially stealing or deleting info deemed sensitive.
You can entrust account access to others in Gmail, which is essentially like handing over the keys to your vehicle. You can't assign levels of access, conceal personal messages, or even see messages sent by your delegate in your place.
Among, if not the most important category is a runaway win for Outlook. With detailed options and a privacy policy that is far more transparent, Microsoft 365's e-mail platform stands alone.
Calendar
Technically, Google Calendar is not a part of Gmail, though all it requires to sync the 2 is a Workspace account and a couple of clicks through Gmail's menu.
For the sake of taking a more comprehensive look at Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, we'll small business it services near me compare Outlook's calendar to Google Calendar here.
Gmail users regreted the platform's combination with other businesses or clients who utilized Outlook.
Some complaints consisted of that updates to standing conferences made from Outlook accounts would not upgrade in Google Calendar, and the failure to press upgraded information to individuals.
Furthermore, Google Calendar will instantly attempt to turn all of your video meetings into a Google Meet call. Its default setting will automatically publish a Google Meet link into your calendar entry, and that function requires to be disabled by an administrator.
Otherwise, both platforms have added combinations with the other, and by all accounts, they work seamlessly. For all intents and purposes, this function is a draw.
Verdict
Like a lot of things, this decision largely comes down to individual preference. A lot of the differences in between Outlook and Gmail have actually benefits based upon how your company runs, as well as your budget.
Eventually, the openness and security of Outlook make it the more powerful offering. If you discover yourself sorting through countless emails a day, however, Gmail may be the right alternative for you.